The TV Series
still to be updated to 17th August The TV series to accompany the Citizens Required project, in which King Danny (AKA Danny Wallace) sets out to start his own country. This page will be used to keep track of the TV series, appearing at 10pm on Wednesday, for six weeks starting 3rd August 2005. Note that the name of the series implies that you will be shown how to start your own country. Whilst, in theory, this is true, in practice it helps if you've got lots of money, or the backing of the BBC (and perhaps a small band of loyal followers. In the first episode alone, Danny had travelled to America to seek inspiration, and by episode two he was paying a design agency to design an identity for his country, and was filming a video with crowds of extras. King Danny says... My new documentary series, 'How To Start Your Own Country, is on its way... it'll go out every Wednesday night on BBC2 at 10pm, from August 3rd... Tiny cameras followed me for six months as I attempted to start the biggest little country in the world... with its own laws, its own government, international relations, flag, currency, stamps and King!'' If you'd like to be a Citizen of my new country, there's still plenty of time... head for CitizensRequired.com... soon, there'll be a proper website, with which you can help me make important policy decisions! See how I get on, in August... Episode Guide The main website has a TV schedule for the series. Listed below are previews and teasers... Wednesday 3rd August 1/6 - Birth of a Nation * Danny Wallace is the latest in a line of offbeat charmers, like Simon Reeve or Louis Theroux, whose encounters with complete strangers often throw up good telly. In this six-part series, he's seeing what happens if he tries to set up his own country. For inspiration, he visits the " Principality of Sealand", a concrete fort in the sea off Essex that has its own stamps, passports and coins, courtesy of the family that has colonised it and declared independence. Convinced he could do something similar, Wallace tries to invade an island on the Thames, armed only with a megaphone and some posters. "People of Eel Pie Island," he announces, "there is no need to be annoyed. I'm a friendly invasion force." It's all gently amusing tomfoolery that's hard to resist.'' '''From the BBC Site: Ever thought about having your face printed on a stamp, a coin or a banknote? Ever dreamt of owning a diplomatic passport, paying no tax, or legalizing drugs? Frustrated by the levels of crime, the decline in education and the quality of the health service? How would you like the chance to change all these things and take control of your own destiny? Well fear not. Help is at hand This new series follows intrepid everyman Danny Wallace as he takes up the challenge and begins the unlikely odyssey of setting up and running his own country. From the corridors of power at Whitehall to a rusting war fort in the North Sea, Danny cuts through the red tape and meets a host of extraordinary individuals all keen to help him with his quest. Trying to overcome the first hurdle of not having a territory, Danny scours the globe to find the best place to set things up. En route, he enlists the help of the British Army, is involved in a botched invasion and takes advice from a man who claims to own the moon! Wednesday 10th August 2/6 - Citizens Required * Series following intrepid everyman Danny Wallace as he takes up the challenge to set up and run his own country. Discovering that the smallest country in the world is the Vatican City with just 921 citizens, Danny goes on a mission to beat the Pope and have the biggest small country in the world. Armed with a flag, citizenship test and the ultimate immigration policy, he takes to the streets to see if he can convince anyone to relocate. '' From the BBC Site: Ever thought about having your face printed on a stamp, a coin or a banknote? Ever dreamt of owning a diplomatic passport, paying no tax, or legalizing drugs? Frustrated by the levels of crime, the decline in education and the quality of the health service? How would you like the chance to change all these things and take control of your own destiny? Well fear not. Help is at hand. This new series follows intrepid everyman Danny Wallace as he takes up the challenge and begins the unlikely odyssey of setting up and running his own country. From the corridors of power at Whitehall to a rusting war fort in the North Sea, Danny cuts through the red tape and meets a host of extraordinary individuals all keen to help him with his quest. Discovering that the smallest country in the world is the Vatican City with a population of just 921 citizens, Danny goes on a mission to beat the Pope and become the biggest small country in the world. Armed with a new flag, citizenship test and the ultimate immigration policy, he takes to the streets to see if he can convince anyone to relocate. Wednesday 17th August 3/6 - For King and Country Having trouble locate the spiel online, but it had much to do with electing your friends to prime positions of power, getting a fancy outfit, and looking into security (and deciding against guns). Wednesday 24th August 4/6 - State of a Nation From the BBC Site: Keen to make his country the nicest country in the world, Danny finds himself having to lay down the law. Getting advice from America's toughest sheriff, he meets an all female chain gang and spends time with a group of inmates who are forced to live in the desert and wear pink underwear. Travelling to a maximum-security prison in Arizona, Danny finds himself on death row where he learns from a condemned man what it's like to live with the knowledge that the state is going to kill you. Wednesday 31st August 5/6 - The Bank of Danny The bank of danny is created with its own currency. Based on the phrase 'Time is money' the Independant Occupational Units (IOU's for short) are earned by one minutes work at a task for another member of the country, 'Lovely'. Wednesday 7th September 6/6 - The United Nation Danny attempts to join his country into the United Nations. Citizen TV - Kind Danny also says... My very own State Broadcasting is preparing to kick in! You can help me make laws! Award knighthoods! Declare war! '' ''Straight after How To Start Your Own Country on BBC2, you'll be able to switch over to my country's very own channel, for Citizen TV! The BBC have very kindly loaned me their airwaves for ten minutes a night, and with the press of a red button, you'll be able to help me shape a nation, each and every week... I'll need your help in finding a name for the country... in developing laws... in deciding who to let in and who to banish... You'll be able to text or e-mail me, send in photos, suggestions or ideas - even phone me live on TV. Meanwhile, the website is preparing to launch, over at CitizensRequired.com .... there, you'll be able to do all sorts of exciting things as the series progresses... It's going to be fun...